Shoe



Patented Aug. 3o, 1927.

, UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN M. WILBE, SB., OF COVINGTON, KENTUCKY, ASSIGNOB TO THE JULIAN KOKENGE COMPANY, OF.CINCINNATI, OHIO, A CORPORATION OF OHIO.

SHOE.

' Application iled vJanuary tl, 1923. Serial No. 610,088.

My invention relates to shoes, and in some respects more 'particularly to stiff, shank shoes, and has as its object the provision of a welt shoe, in whichl the insole,-at desired 5 point-s is free from the welt, so that it canv assume a position of close lit to the foot.

Particularly in the modern rigid shank shoes, which are shaped to fit the arch of the foot at the shank, the exactness of fit is very essential, as slight misfit results in distorting the foot, and is painful and naturally of more harm than good to the foot.

By my invention the inner sole is free to be bent upwardly away from the outersole and filler, and can be drawn up against the arched portions of the foot by the upper.

My invention is applicable to any welt shoe, either iiexible, normal stiffness or rigidly re-inforced at the shank, and may be used with any formy of insole havingaturned up lip, as used with welt shoes.

I accomplish my objects' by that certain construction and arrangement ofparts to be hereinafter more specifically pointed out and claimed.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of an inner sole, as constructed according to my invention.

Figure' 2is a like view showing the'v insole ipverted over its position in the completed S 10.

Figure 3 is a cross section taken vertically through a shoe constructed in accordance with my invention.

' Figure 4 is a detail section taken across the shank of a channeled insole.

Figure 5 is a like view showing the application rof canvas to such an insole.

Figure 6 is a sectional view showing the assembly of insole, welt and upper prior to the attachment of the outer sole.

Referring to the embodiment selected for purposes of illustration, I show an outer sole l, an inner sole 2 and anl upper 3. The welt 4 is secured to the upper in the usual manner.

In Figure 4 lI have shown a cross section of the insole 2, in which channels 5, 5, have been formed and the lips lifted thereby turned up to form the shoulder or lip 6, one

parts,

cure the welt to the outersole. Previous to lip extending around` the insole except at the heel, and leaving the feather or edge 7 outside of the lip.

One form -of insole construction, as shown in Figure 5, is re-inforced with canvas, after the lip has been formed, as in Figure 4, with the canvas 8 so applied as to cover the main body of the insole, the lip and if desired the feather also.

In making up a shoe (Figures 3 and 6) the upper 3 is brought around the insole, which is secured face'down on a last, and a welt strip 4 is stitched` together with the upper to the lip of the insole, as by the inseam stitches 9. The upper is shown in Figure 6 but the welt strip of Figure 6 is not found in Figure 2.

In making the sole is then applied to the assembled shoel and the stitches 10 are formed to seapplying the'outer sole, the cavity within the lip of the insole is filled with some plastic or resilient material 11.

My invention is based on the principle of relieving the body of the insole from attachment to the outer sole above the welt strip, so that when the upper is pulled tight about the foot, the insole will be free to bend upwardly within the shoe, and will tfhus conform to and give support to the oot. t

To accomplish this purpose I proceed as above outlined except that before forming the inseam, I make a cut as indicated at 12, with a knife, which severs the insole lip from the insole at the desired points The most practical ystage at which to make the cut is prior to themounting of the insole on the last, although it can be made after the removal of the tacks which are ordinarily used to temporarily assemble the upper, welt and insole prior to the inseaming. The cut cannot be made after inseaming.

In the preferred form shown I have cut away the insole lip at the inner side of the shoe from the brake'of the ball of the sole to the heel, where the lip usually ends. The cut may be made throughout other portions, as for example, along both sides of the `shank. I need not u se a canvas re-inforced usual welt shoe, the outer insole, and also I may use an insole which is re-inforced with canvas only about the shank as shown in Figure 2.

I do not require that theI lip pass entirely around the insole, as it is needed to produce my invention only at the points where it is to be cut.

None of the operations oirmy shoe in-v volve a departure from known methods, and in facta pair of insoles may be cut, as indicatednat 12, without the knowledge of a shoe worker,and he will be able to assemble the shoe in the usual manner Without ever knowing that the shoe is dierent from the usual run. 1

There have been shoes in the past in which the insole was not secured to the outer sole near one of its shank edges, but such shoes were hard to make, insecure in structure, and involvedla new processing in the factory.

In an industryl such as the yshoe industry,

which is subject to al oating labor market;

any change in processes of manu-facture are highly undesirable.

Having thus described a selected embodiment of my invention, and being desirous of setting forth the invention'l involved therein, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. A shoe having an insole, outer sole, upper and Welt, the body of the insole being' free of the Welt and the sewing rib thereof at the inner side of the shoe from .the break of the ball to the heel of the insole, the upper and welt secured to the insole, and the welt secured to the outer sole.

2. A step in the process of making a welt shoe which consists in temporarily securing together an insole, a welt and an upper ou a last, and prior to inseaining, inserting a cut in the insole adjacent the sewing rib, said cut extending from the break of the vball of the foot to ythe heel of the insole, and then inseaming the upper, Welt and insole.

JOHN M. WILKE, SR. 

